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The southern distinct population segment (DPS) of the green sturgeon is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The green sturgeon’s occurrence and habitat use, particularly in the ocean, is not well known. Therefore it is currently unknown if the green sturgeon occurs and uses areas where the Navy conducts training and testing activities. The objectives of this project are to use acoustic telemetry in order to determine 1) the location of green sturgeon detections within Washington, 2) the season for specific habitat use (e.g., estuaries; coastal waters), 3) the frequency an animal moves between coastal and estuarine waters, and 4) the range of each tagged animal.
Fish sampling and tagging effort occurred in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. Four acoustic telemetry receivers compatible with the existing acoustic receiver array on the Washington coast was deployed and checked periodically for green sturgeon tag detections. Green sturgeon were tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder and acoustic pinger tags. A small tissue sample was collected for genetic analysis.
In total, 332 green sturgeon were handled in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, Washington in 2020 2021, and 2023. In that time, 174 green sturgeon were implanted with VEMCO 69-kHz V16 acoustic transmitters, 172 of which were also newly tagged with Biomark 12mm Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags. Acoustic data indicates that some green sturgeon can be detected on the offshore acoustic receiver array year-round, with peak detections occurring around May. Within the NWTT study area, there were no significant differences in residence time between distinct population segments (DPSs) from 2019–2024; however inconsistent and limited array coverage within the NWTT study area limit further analysis within this area.
2020-2026
Washington (Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay)
Acoustic telemetry (pinger tagging)
Laura Heironimus
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Project Manager
Christopher Hunt, NAVFAC Northwest
Christiana Salles, NAVFAC Southwest
Program Manager
Andrea Balla-Holden
Pacific Fleet Environmental Readiness Division
The Southern distinct population segment (sDPS) of green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris is federally listed as a threatened species under the United States (U.S.) Endangered Species Act (ESA). Large aggregations of both the Northern distinct population segment (nDPS) and sDPS of green sturgeon can be found congregating in Washington’s coastal estuaries mid-summer. This provides a unique opportunity to capture and study this elusive species. Existing telemetric data indicates that these fish make long migrations along the Pacific Coast with a possible year-round presence in near-shore marine waters along Washington and Oregon’s coastline. The U.S. Navy is interested in the occurrence of the threatened sDPS of green sturgeon in the Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) study area (offshore of Washington, Oregon, and northern California).
The Southern distinct population segment (sDPS) of green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris is federally listed as a threatened species under the United States (U.S.) Endangered Species Act (ESA). Large aggregations of both the Northern distinct population segment (nDPS) and sDPS of green sturgeon can be found congregating in Washington’s coastal estuaries mid-summer. This provides a unique opportunity to capture and study this elusive species. Existing telemetric data indicates that these fish make long migrations along the Pacific Coast with a possible year-round presence in near-shore marine waters along Washington and Oregon’s coastline. The U.S. Navy is interested in the occurrence of the threatened sDPS of green sturgeon in the Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) study area, which is offshore of Washington, Oregon, and northern California.
The Southern distinct population segment (DPS) of green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris is federally listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Large aggregations of both the Northern DPS and Southern DPS of green sturgeon can be found congregating in Washington’s coastal estuaries mid-summer. This provides a unique opportunity to capture and study this elusive species. Existing telemetric data indicates that these fish make long migrations along the Pacific Coast with a possible year-round presence in near-shore marine waters along Washington and Oregon’s coastline. The U.S. Navy is interested in the occurrence of the threatened Southern DPS of green sturgeon in the Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) study area, which is offshore of Washington, Oregon, and northern California.
Large aggregations of both the Northern distinct population segment (DPS) and ESA-listed Southern DPS of the green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris can be found congregating in Washington’s coastal estuaries mid-summer. This provides a unique opportunity to capture and study this elusive species. Existing telemetric data indicates that these fish make long migrations along the Pacific Coast with a possible year-round presence in near-shore marine waters along Washington and Oregon’s coastline. The U.S. Navy is interested in evaluating the impacts of military training and testing operations to protected species and, for the purpose of this project, is specifically interested in assessing impacts to the threatened Southern DPS of green sturgeon.